Why, hello there. Welcome.

This is a fanfic project I've had on the backburner for many years now. My focus was on completing my last fanfic series, and I didn't want to risk stretching that out longer then I needed to, so this story got benched. But with my Ghost Hunt series done, I've got some time and a shocking amount of motivation to bring this story back to life!

Just some quick lore notes before jumping into it: This story takes place in a kind of 'alternate timeline' where GREMLIN doesn't exist. We start just after World War 3 with a relative return to peace. I chose to do this because I started writing this story long before I took up reading NT, and ultimately I couldn't reconcile the concept with post-GREMLIN developments.

Anyways, I hope you like it. For those of you new my writing: I'm not consistent, but I am stubborn. If it's a story I've posted, it's a story I will finish.

It began the first week of November.

It was an uncharacteristically warm day for the fall, and warm days were meant to be spent outside in the sun. Toma might not remember anything of his past, but this was something he could be sure of. So, when he found himself staring down his incomplete homework that would be due within 24 hours, he thought to himself at least he could work on it outside and enjoy the weather.

Unfortunately, Touma learned fast that the calm fall breeze and the echoes of laughter that rang through the park did nothing to help his concentration. An hour in and he'd barely managed to work his way through two questions out of twenty. Despite the fact that Index would be waiting at home and would likely attack him for leaving the moment he returned, he was seriously considering packing up.

Touma had just about worked up the nerve to leave when a shadow covered his work. Touma blinked a couple times and followed the shadow up to its source.

"Ah," He started. "Biribiri."

Misaka Mikoto clenched her teeth in annoyance, but she chose to let it slide. "What are you doing out here?" She asked bluntly. "There's only elementary schools and child error centers around here."

Touma sighed and looked away. "I figured I might be able to work peacefully in a place like this, but Kamijou Touma is too much of an idiot to focus on his work." He admitted wistfully.

"Ah, that homework stuff again?" Misaka asked. Casually, she set her bag down and slid into the spot on the bench next to him. Touma tensed. Not that he had anything against sitting next to a pretty girl, but this pretty girl had a tendency to shoot electricity whenever she got a little flustered. Thankfully, Misaka wasn't paying attention. She'd pulled up his homework and was starting to go through it. Reading the questions, she mumbled "Oh, I remember doing this stuff."

Five minutes later, Misaka handed him his homework, now complete. She grinned at him gleefully while Touma slumped in his seat. He just couldn't get used to the fact that a middle schooler could do his homework better than he could. Touma had a feeling that she only did it because it was a victory over him.

"So," Touma said, packing his homework away in his bag. "What are you doing out here?"

Misaka looked away, a familiar pink tinting her cheeks. "Nothing important." She answered quickly. "I just had some stuff to do and this was the fastest route."

"You're going red, biribiri," Touma teased lightly. "Doesn't that mean there's somewhere you need to be right now?"

Misaka jumped to her feet. "How many times do I have to say it?!" She growled angrily. A few sparks shot from her head. "My name is Misaka Mikoto!"

Touma ducked as an electrical shot came his way. Usually, this was about as far as he was willing to push her. He could only handle so many power outages in the city. Today, though, he was feeling a little bold. He decided to retort "You're one to talk."

"Huh?" Misaka said, drawing the electricity up short.

"You never use my name." Touma pointed out. "Any time you want to get my attention, it's always 'hey you'. If you want me to use your name, you should try using mine."

Misaka paused, clenching her teeth as a small blush tinted her cheeks. Honestly, Misaka wasn't sure she'd ever said his name out loud. Not that she didn't know what it was, it was just that she really didn't know how she should address him. Although, Misaka supposed that if he was going to make an effort to use her name, then she should probably do the same.

"Th-then… K-Kamijou…" Misaka stuttered, avoiding his eyes.

Touma sighed, smiling at her. "After everything that's happened, it just sounds weird to hear you use my last name."

Misaka clenched her fists and met his gaze in frustration. "Well what am I supposed to call you then?!" She shouted at him.

"Just Touma is fine." He answered casually.

Misaka's blushed deepened and she lowered her gaze. "In that case, y-you can use Mikoto…" She muttered. "It'll be less confusing that way… with all the clones…"

Touma's smile widened. Picking up his bag, He raised a hand and said "Well then, I'll see you around, Mikoto."

Despite the red in her face, Misaka raised her head determinedly and answered "Mm. See you, T-Touma."

The sound of Mikoto calling him Touma rang in his head long after he'd left the park. For some reason, it sent a tingling thrill through his body, etching a permanent smile on his face.

Touma liked Mikoto. Despite her violent tendencies, she was someone important to him. But it had always been a little hard to call her a friend. It's not like they really hung out or anything, and she was always trying to start a fight. Being able to use her name, and to have her use his… it was such a simple, inconsequential thing, and yet he felt like their entire dynamic had shifted slightly.

Maybe they should hang out sometime, he thought briefly.

That was how it started.

The second time was a result of his desperate attempt to study.

Initially, Touma had pulled out some schoolwork in his apartment. After Sphinx trampling on it, Index sending papers into a disarray, and spilt coffee making some parts unreadable, he decided that he was better off finding another place to work.

Touma found himself automatically drifting toward the same park he'd met Mikoto the week before. It wasn't the closest park, and it wasn't the nicest, but his thoughtless walk landed him there nonetheless.

With a quick shake of his head, Touma pulled out his notes and tried to focus. There were a few theories he needed to try and understand for an upcoming test.

A half hour passed in calming silence, broken only by the breeze rustling leaves and the echoes of children's laughter. Touma flipped through his notes, scavenging the parts that survived the disasters at his apartment and rewriting the parts that didn't. His textbook lay open beside him, taunting him with the theories that eluded his understanding.

So intent was his focus that he didn't notice someone approaching his table until the person placed their hands on it.

"Touma, did you hear me?"

Touma blinked, dragging his eyes away from his notes to focus on the girl frowning down at him. "Oh, hey, Mikoto."

"Jeez," She sighed, sitting down across from him. "It took three tries to get your attention. What's so interesting about these notes?"

"Three tries?" He repeated, a little embarrassed. He hadn't heard her at all. "Sorry."

She huffed. "So? You have homework again?"

Touma turned back to his notes, forlorn and discouraged. "Studying, actually." He answered. "But I'm not getting anywhere."

Mikoto glanced at the scattered notes, and rolled her eyes. "Seriously, how did you even get into high school?"

That one stung a little. "Honestly? I have no idea."

Mikoto rolled her eyes again, certain that he was dodging the question. Touma wondered if he'd struggled this much before he lost his memory, if he'd maybe been smarter once.

Fat chance. The way his friends and teachers treated him made it clear: Touma had always been and always will be a complete idiot.

Touma decided to change the subject. "So? What are you doing out here this time?"

Mikoto frowned, shifting her gaze down. "Nothing important. Just looking for a little peace and quiet after my crazy pervert of a roommate went overboard again."

Touma smirked. He could imagine. Shirai Kuroko was overwhelmingly adoring of Mikoto, and he'd gotten drop-kicked by her on a few occasions for the crime of being in Mikoto's presence.

He guessed that meant that they were both out there to get away from their roommates.

Although Mikoto's declaration was a contradiction.

"You know, 'peace and quiet' is not what usually happens when we hang out."

He used 'hang out' loosely. He was rarely ever in this girl's presence without a fight breaking out, either with her directly or with someone else.

Mikoto growled, clenching her fist and letting sparks fly. Touma tensed, wondering if he'd accidentally offended her, but after a couple seconds, the sparks died down and she loosened the fist.

"What do you think I am, some sort of wild animal?" She accused. "It's not like I pick a fight with everyone I see."

"Really?"

"Don't sound so surprised!"

Touma put his arms up in surrender, smiling sheepishly. "My mistake." He tried apologizing.

His question hadn't entirely been about teasing her. He was genuinely surprised. This was the second time in over a week he'd spoken with her, and he hadn't gotten zapped yet at all. The change was confusing him, making him feel like he was walking on eggshells.

Mikoto crossed her arms, resting her head on the table and pointedly looking away from him. She was obviously annoyed, but she wasn't lashing out yet.

Touma watched her for a minute, the rusted gears in his brain spinning as he tried to uncover the reason for her behavior before it backfired on him, but ultimately nothing came to mind.

He shrugged, deciding that it really didn't matter, and he might as well enjoy it while it lasted.

"Since you're here…" He started, pulling out a page of notes. Mikoto glanced up at him. "… you wouldn't happen to know about AIM diffusion fields, would you?"

Mikoto blinked a couple times, then a smug smile spread across her face. Touma groaned.

"Oh?" She teased. "You mean you're learning about that now? Tokiwadai covers that material in the first year."

He grimaced. As grateful as he was to have her help him out, it still felt shameful. There was no way around it when your would-be tutor was a year younger than you.

"There's a world of difference between regular schools and places like Tokiwadai." Touma defended with a shrug. "Plus, I'm hopelessly behind in this stuff."

"That's what you get for spending all your time running around and helping every girl you run into, whether they asked for it or not." She said pointedly.

"It's not like I go looking for it." Touma complained.

"Don't you?" Mikoto shot back, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "I feel like every time I run into you, you've gotten wrapped up in some new trouble. And there's always a girl involved."

Touma grimaced. He couldn't deny it. It was just his luck to get tangled in problem situations, and there were always misunderstandings with the girls. Mikoto and Index were the most violent when it came to those misunderstandings, but plenty of others had delivered retribution on him when he'd accidentally done something wrong.

"I'm not wrapped up in anything now." He pointed out.

"Two times in a week." Mikoto answered. "I'd say it's a new record."

"I'd like to keep that streak." Touma added.

"Well then, better get back to studying before something comes up. Mikoto-sensei will tell you all about AIM diffusion fields."

He sighed.

To Touma's surprise, Mikoto turned out to be an effective teacher. He found it a little intimidating, actually. Touma had always known that Mikoto was talented- she was one of only seven level 5s, after all- but the more he saw her like this, the more he realized that this girl was exceptionally smart. It wasn't just Tokiwadai's advanced curriculum, either. It was her own natural gifts.

"How do you remember so much about this stuff, anyways?" He asked her once she'd finished her explanation. "Don't people usually forget most of what they learn as soon as they're done covering it?"

"Do they?" She seemed genuinely surprised. "Maybe I would've forgotten about it, but there was an incident I got mixed up in a while back that had to do with AIM diffusion fields. Did you ever hear about the level upper?"

Touma wracked his brain. "Doesn't sound familiar."

"Well it was supposed to be this item that would boost a person's level, but it was actually a scientist experimenting with AIM diffusion fields. Turned into a pretty big problem."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Do you get caught up in problems like that a lot?"

She looked away. "Well… often enough… I guess."

"And you were lecturing me on getting caught up in things." He smirked.

She huffed. "At least I've learned to ask for help when I need it." She complained.

Touma knew that was meant to be a jab at him, but instead of a twinge of annoyance, he felt reassured. "Good." He told her. "As long as you don't get backed into a corner like you did on that bridge."

She glared, her cheeks flushed. "Don't go sounding all high and mighty about it when it's a lesson you haven't learned yourself."

"I've never tried to die." He defended himself.

"Could've fooled me." She grumbled.

He sighed, realizing there wasn't much he could say to that. Pushing himself up from the table, he changed the subject "Want to get something to eat?"

She blinked up at him, surprised. "... right now?"

"Sure. It's about time for lunch, isn't it?"

A part of him wondered what exactly he was doing. Index would kill him for going out to lunch without her. But he was sure there were leftovers in the fridge for her, so she wouldn't come looking for him, probably. And he wasn't sure why… but being around Mikoto, having casual conversations… well, he didn't feel like saying goodbye quite yet.

Suddenly looking very red in the face, Mikoto looked down at her hands and said. "I guess… I mean, I'm kinda hungry, might as well…"

"Come on, then." He lifted his bag over his shoulder, offering her a hand.

She froze at the sight of the offered hand, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. He tensed a little, wondering if she was about to start shooting electricity, but after a moment's hesitation, she took the hand and let him pull her to her feet.

"Is there anything in particular you feel like eating?" He asked her as they started walking away from the park.

"Mmm… not really."

Touma looked around, trying to decide where they should go. Catching sight of a well-marked staircase, he nodded in that direction and suggested "How about the underground mall?"

"The mall?" She repeated, following his line of sight to the entrance in the distance. "Sure, that works."

The destination decided, the two of them walked over to the underground mall.

The place was huge, but it so happened that the entrance they picked was close to the one they'd come through the last time the two were in that mall together, and the route took them past a familiar shop.

"Hmm?" Touma looked back, realizing that Mikoto had slowed and was no longer walking next to him. Seeing where she'd paused, he smirked and said "Ah, you remembering the last time we came here together? Don't tell me there's another strap you want me to sign up for."

She started, frowning at him as she turned away from the cell phone service shop. "That was just for the penalty game!" She insisted in a rush. "And if you'll remember, you ditched me after that to hang out with my sister!"

"She showed up out of nowhere asking for help! What was I supposed to do?" He said.

A few sparks shot off around her bangs. "Yeah, and you 'helped' her by buying her a necklace, and then buying her food…"

He winced. When she phrased it like that, it really did sound like he'd ditched her to hang out with her sister. He honestly hadn't meant to, but he couldn't really say no when someone asked him for help, no matter the circumstances. Besides, back then, he'd been half-convinced that Mikoto found him nothing but annoying. It was only recently he'd started to realize just how much this girl worked to hide her true feelings.

"Sorry about that." He started, lifting his hands in surrender before she started shooting arcs of lightning at him. "I didn't mean to ditch you back then."

She sighed, completely exasperated. "Of course you didn't." She mumbled under her breath. "That's part of why it was so annoying."

"Hmm?"

"Never mind."

He tilted his head at her. Hoping to perk up her mood a little, he held up his phone with a smile and said "We still got the straps, at least."

The little Gekota hanging from his phone didn't match anything he owned. Several of his friends had narrowed their eyes suspiciously when they'd caught sight of it and grilled him for the details. The number of smirks he'd gotten after explaining was disconcerting, but he refused to take the strap off. As hectic as the penalty game had been, the memory was somehow warm, and the sight of the little frog often brought a smile to his face. He'd been frustrated with himself when he thought he'd lost it after crashing into the ocean at the end of World War 3, so he'd been incredibly grateful that Mikoto had been able to find it.

A small smile broke her somber expression. She pulled out her own phone, playing with the strap a little. "Mm." She agreed. "Try not to lose it again, idiot."

"I'll do my best." He promised.

The two made it to the food court a few minutes later, splitting up briefly to get what they wanted from different venues and then meeting up again at the table they'd picked. Thankfully the crowd was pretty light, so finding a spot hadn't been too hard.

"Since I have you here," Mikoto started about halfway through her meal. "There's a few things I wanted to ask you."

He paused, suddenly weary. "Please tell me you don't have another prospective boyfriend you want my help getting rid of."

She flushed five shades of red. "O-Of course not! That was just…! It's not like… besides, was pretending to be my boyfriend for a few hours really that bad?!"

"My bad, my bad." He waved his hands, grinning nervously as he waited for her to calm down. Once she'd settled back into her seat, he said "So what did you want to ask?"

She took a deep, calming breath, waiting until the red had completely faded from her cheeks, then met his gaze calmly and said "What's the deal with 'magic'?"

He froze.

Touma had figured this would happen eventually. Mikoto wasn't involved in the magic side… in theory. But the reality was that magic users had infiltrated Academy City multiple times and she'd gotten pulled into it more than once. She'd been in Russia to see the Archangel and the Star of Bethlehem. A part of him had hoped she would just let it slide. For the most part, Mikoto seemed to be content with boiling any situation down to who the good guys were and who the bad guys were. She's the type to fight for her friends no matter the circumstances.

But he understood the curiosity. And on some level it was probably safer for her to know more about it… since she'd probably end up fighting magicians again at some point. If Mikoto had to go head to head with a magician, then Touma would rather she know what she was getting into from the start.

"... just how much do you know?" Touma started.

"I know it's something different from esper abilities." She said. "If there's some sort of scientific principle behind it, then I don't know what it is. I saw that floating rock in Russia. And I know you and that nun are involved with it somehow."

"Mm." He nodded. "Honestly, I don't understand it all that well myself. Index would probably be a lot better at explaining it…" He tried to think back to his encounters with the magic sects. "Basically, I think magic is a power based on stories and faith. Magicians are always part of a religious group. Index is with the English Puritans, and you probably know World War 3 was a Roman Orthodox thing."

Mikoto considered that, her eyes clouding over as she tried to fit that information in with what she knew. "So their faith creates their own forms of personal realities, resulting in esper-like abilities?" She guessed.

He frowned. This would be easier to explain if he understood the concept better. "Kinda? Not really, though. Magic is pretty different from esper abilities. It relies on rituals, incantations, and symbolic items. And usually magicians can do all sorts of things with magic. Like, a guy who could cast a fire spell could probably also cast a healing spell... although they usually do specialize in one form."

She pressed her lips together. He could practically see the gears turning behind her eyes. "So a person using magic can do any number of things with it, but they're limited to using specific ritualistic methods of working that power?"

"Pretty much."

"What would happen if an esper used magic in combination with their ability?"

He shook his head. "Impossible. Espers and magic are incompatible. Anyone who's gone through the ability development program can't use magic. If we tried, it would destroy our bodies. I've seen it happen."

She nodded toward his right hand. "Then that hand of yours isn't magic, is it?"

He looked down at his Imagine Breaker. "No. I'm not really sure what it is. But it works on magic the same way it works on esper abilities."

The two fell silent for a few minutes while Mikoto tried to process the information.

"So basically," She summarized. "If I got this straight, magic is a supernatural power put to use through faith and ritual means, and magicians are soldiers employed by religious sects. Magicians can't be espers, and espers can't use magic. Am I getting this right?"

"As far as I know." He shrugged. "Like I said, I don't know that much. I just get dragged into it a lot because I'm looking after Index."

"That's another thing." She pointed her fork at him. "How is that sister involved in all this? Can she use magic?"

"She can't, actually. Index is something like a librarian. She's got a perfect memory. Her church used that to get her to memorize 103 000 grimoires, which are like magic instruction books. Apparently, it's usually really dangerous for someone to read a grimoire, so storing them all in Index' brain like that gives them safer access to it, I guess. I don't know the full story."

She raised her eyebrows at him. "You don't?"

He shrugged. "July 28th. That was the day I saved Index, but it's also the day I lost my memory. I don't remember what led up to that, and I only have a general idea of what went down from what people told me."

"So that's how it happened…" She sighed. "Of course your amnesia would be a result of you saving a girl."

He chuckled a little. "Well, whatever went down, the result is that the English Puritan Church made me her official guardian. I've been looking after her ever since."

Mikoto narrowed her eyes sharply. "Oh? So the two of you really do live together, huh?"

"Yes…?" He raised his eyebrows, wondering what the sharp tone was about.

"Don't tell me you two share a b-bed–!"

It was a poor moment to be taking a sip of his drink. He nearly choked. "... Did you miss the part about her being a nun?!" Not a full-fledged nun, sure. Index was still a trainee. But even Mikoto calls her 'that nun'! Why would she think–?

"So you're saying if she wasn't, you'd be–!"

"Oi! Gimme a break! I wouldn't try anything, I swear!" He cried.

She glared at him, static cackling in the air. "... hmmm, is that so?"

"Yes! It is!" He met her gaze firmly. Something about the idea of her thinking his relationship with Index might be anything other than platonic bothered him, and he was determined to put that thought down while he had the chance.

She decided to take his word for it and let it drop. "... so how often do you get wrapped up with magicians?" She asked.

"More often than with stuff on the science side, if I'm being honest." He told her. "Magicians being in Academy City at all is usually a problem. The science and magic sides are kind of enemies. Churches usually keep their distance, but sometimes people sneak in."

She stirred the ice in her drink. "If science and magic are enemies, then why keep that nun here?"

"I dunno. Maybe because magicians keep their distance? Since it's hard for magicians to get into the city, fewer people come after her. That's my guess anyways. Also…" He frowned, thinking of his blonde friend and the number of times Stiyl and Kanzaki showed up in the city, as well as Index's Academy City ID. "I think the English Puritans have some sort of deal with Academy City."

"Mm. That would make sense. That sister is out and about all the time, after all. If she wasn't registered as an official resident, then she would've been arrested by now. Especially if she's really that important to the city's enemies."

He grimaced, thinking wryly that it was a good thing no one had been expecting him to effectively hide her. He hadn't considered the city's surveillance system at all.

The two went quiet again as they finished with their food.

"If there's anything else you wanna know, you should probably ask Index." He told her. "I'm really not good at explaining these things."

"Oh I've got a hundred questions." She assured him. "But I think I'll leave it at that for now. Honestly…" She looked down at her hands. "I'm kinda surprised you tried explaining anything. I thought you would just dodge the question."

"I wish I could." He said honestly. She looked up in surprise. "There's no reason for you to get involved in the magic side, Mikoto. But…"

He thought back to her words to him the day she caught up to him outside the hospital on his way to fight Aqua.

Why won't you say it?! That you want my help! That you're scared or anxious… I know you're carrying the weight of something huge, but is it something that you have to carry all by yourself? I can fight too… I can be of help to you…

He'd turned her down then. He had to. There was no time to catch her up to what was happening, and he had to stand on his own feet. But even as the memory of what happened afterwards blurred and faded away, those words stuck sharply in his mind. He didn't want to involve her… but…

The way you're going about it, there's no saving you. That's why… I'm not moving.

… He thought that maybe he wasn't being fair.

"You'll get involved anyways, won't you?" He finished with a small smile. "Because you're always looking out for me. If I can't stop you, then at least I can help you be a bit more prepared for it."

She blinked. Once, then twice.

Then she smiled.

It was a soft smile, something warm and honest that reached right into her eyes. A look born of pure affection. It wasn't an uncommon look- he'd seen it on many of the people he cared about- but it was Touma's first time seeing such a smile on Misaka Mikoto.

His breath caught.

She really is beautiful.

He felt himself heat up at the unexpected thought, and quickly downed the rest of his drink, desperately trying to distract himself from it. He crushed the empty paper cup, then pushed himself to his feet.

Thankfully, he didn't have to think of something to say, because a different voice reached them instead.

"Misaka-san!"

She perked up, getting out of her chair as a cheerful girl with long, black hair waved and came running up to them. It took Touma a second to remember her name- Saten Ruiko, the girl whose charm he'd borrowed during the Daihasei.

"Saten-san." Mikoto greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"Just some light shopping." The girl's eyes glinted as she turned to him, her smile sharpening into a smirk. "Nice to see you again, Kamijou-san. Are you on a date with Misaka-san?"

Mikoto's face went dark at her friend's suggestion, the air around her cackling dangerously. "D-d-d-d-da–?!"

"We just ran into each other!" He corrected quickly before the electromaster shorted out the entire mall. "Mikoto stuck around to help me study."

"Oh?" Saten stepped closer to Mikoto, nudging her teasingly and whispering "You two are on a first-name basis now?"

The girl's face got, if possible, even darker. "A-ah, you know what? I've got some shopping to do too!" She said in a rush, grabbing her friend by the wrist. "Let's go, Saten-san!"

"Aaah, Misaka-san, wait a min–!"

"I'll see you later, Touma!" She called back at him, shooting him a wave as she vanished in the distance with her friend.

He lifted his own hand in response, although the girl was long gone before she could see it.

"Date, huh?..."

He smiled. It wasn't the first time someone had accused them of being out on a date… and it definitely hadn't been a date… but… for some reason, the idea that other people would make that assumption didn't really bother him.

He hoped he'd get to see her again soon.

Mikoto was halfway across the mall before she let go of her friend's wrist.

Saten was still smirking knowingly, even as she put her hands on her knees to help her catch her breath. "You don't need to be… so shy about it… Misaka-san…" She said through her panting. Pushing herself back up to her full height, she added "Kamijou-san looked like he was enjoying himself."

"W-what is it you think we were doing?!" Mikoto demanded.

"Having a lunch date?" She guessed.

"Touma told you! We just h-happened to run into each other… and I helped him study a bit… then we grabbed lunch…" She shrank into herself as she recounted the details of the day. That really had come close to being a casual date, hadn't it?

Saten watched her flustered friend in cozy contentment. Misaka was at her cutest when she was getting worked up over Kamijou, and Saten never missed an opportunity to see it happen.

"I get it." She conceded, giving her friend a break. "Just hanging out then. Seriously though, when did you two start using your given names with each other? I know he used to call you Misaka."

The two started walking again as Mikoto slowly answered "Well, he used to use this annoying nickname with me sometimes, and I'd give him heck for not using my real name… but then, last week, he gave me heck for not using his name at all… in the end, we just decided to use our given names." She looked away from her friend. It's not like she could tell Saten about the reasoning she'd used at the time, so she was hoping that would be enough for her.

Thankfully it was. "Hmm, just a week ago, huh? Well it's nice to see you getting closer to your crush."

Mikoto froze. "H-he's not–! I don't–! It's not…!" She shook her head roughly. "Ah geez! It isn't like that anyways!" Admitting to it was beyond her. Mikoto couldn't say it out loud. But… she couldn't deny it either. Not completely.

"You sure?" Saten pressed, leaning in a little. "I don't know what you said to him, but you had him blushing pretty good for a second there."

"Blushing…?" She thought back, and indeed, there'd been a moment when she smiled at him where he'd looked uncharacteristically red in the face. But he hadn't been blushing, right? He couldn't have been... "There's no way."

Saten considered her friend for a minute. Deciding she'd probably pushed Misaka far enough for the time being, she let it go and changed the subject. "So what did you need to buy?"

"Oh, I'm running low on some bathroom necessities…"

The two spent the next couple hours shopping around for miscellaneous items. Saten didn't bring up Touma again, and Mikoto did her best not to think about him too much either.

It was hard not to though.

Running into him that day hadn't been entirely a coincidence. The truth was that she'd been spending a lot of time walking around, frequenting places where they'd met before in the hope of meeting up with him. Part of that was an earnest desire to see him… but mostly it was a habit born of anxiety.

She didn't want to lose him again.

Watching him crash into that ocean from a distance… searching frantically for any sign of him and finding nothing but the torn Gekota strap… being forced to come back to the city alone, wandering around in a daze, desperately trying to convince herself that he wasn't dead, he couldn't be dead… it'd been awful. She didn't want to be in that position ever again.

So she was trying to keep an eye on him. So that he wouldn't disappear again. So that the next time he got dragged into a problem, she could be there to support him. Next time, she wouldn't let him go it alone.

In the meantime, though… the casual hang-outs were proving to be pretty… nice.

The third time it happened, she started to wonder. There were countless parks across Academy City, and she knew this particular one was not the most convenient for him to get to, so why did he keep coming back? It wasn't especially quiet with the child error facilities nearby, and it didn't have any stand-out scenery…

In fact, she was pretty sure that the only unique thing about this park was that… well, they met there often.

She shook her head, trying to clear out the intrusive thoughts as she walked up to him.

He saw her approach this time, looking up and smiling when he recognized her. "Hey Mikoto." He greeted her.

She slid onto the bench next to him. "Is this your favorite study spot now?" She asked.

He grinned at her, joking "Well, my tutor passes by here often, so it's a good spot to camp out."

"Your tutor…?" Clueing in that he was referring to her, she elbowed him lightly in the side and huffed "Is that what I am to you, then?!"

"What you are," He started, smoothing out the papers laid on the table and fixing a set of hopeful eyes on her. "Is my very smart friend who probably understands this stuff a lot better than me."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't mind tutoring you, you know, but we can always plan to meet somewhere. You don't have to sit out here hoping I'll walk by." Tutoring was a good excuse to meet up with him, one that might even get her a legitimate curfew extension if she needed it. And the material his school covered was pretty simple compared to the Tokiwadai curriculum.

"Mmm… I like this park though."

"This one?" She raised her eyebrows. "What's so special about this park?"

He went quiet, a noticeable shade of pink blooming around his ears despite his expression staying neutral.

"Never mind that." He finally said. "Can you help me out with this?"

She stared for a moment.

He'd been joking, right? He wasn't actually in that park waiting for her to walk by… right? This dense, clueless idiot… there was no way he had anything remotely resembling ulterior motives. Not a chance.

Deciding to shake it off, she turned her attention to his schoolwork.

The subject of the day was chemistry. It took Mikoto a bit of time to remember the necessary formulas, but once she'd written them down and explained how they worked, even this idiot was able to do the equations without much trouble. They got through the homework in a little under half an hour, and Touma even did most of it on his own, with Mikoto checking over his work to make sure he did it right.

Once they'd finished with the work, he slid the notebooks and worksheets into his bag, saying "Thanks, Mikoto. You saved me."

"You shouldn't wait until the last minute to do your homework." She scolded lightly.

He grinned sheepishly. "Well, something came up the other day, so there wasn't really time…"

"Something…?" Her eyes went wide, an unpleasant feeling settling in her stomach. "Did you get caught up in something again?!"

He blinked at her, taken aback by the sudden sharp tone. "Kind of, yeah." He admitted. "It wasn't a big deal, though, really."

She looked him over, assessing him for any signs of injury. Sure enough, there were some scratches barely visible under his sleeves, and an unnatural thickness around his right elbow made her think it was either bandaged or in a brace.

"You idiot." she said in a low voice. She felt sick. All that time walking around trying to keep an eye on him, and she completely misses it when he's actually in trouble. How pathetic. "What was it this time?"

"A dark side organization was holding this kid captive… she had a unique ability to temporarily boost someone's power, so they were using her as a buff, but it was causing too much strain on her body. Some of the people within the group decided to help get her out before her body collapsed, so I gave them a hand." Touma explained.

Mikoto sighed in exasperation. It hadn't even been a problem with the magic side, and he still didn't call her.

Of course he didn't. She scolded herself. No matter which side is involved, this guy doesn't ask for help. 'Doesn't want to put others at risk', right?

It was because she understood that feeling so perfectly that it frustrated her to no end.

"I wish you'd called me." She admitted under her breath.

"Hmm?"

She shook her head. "Never mind. It's nothing."

Touma tilted his head at the girl. Her mood had just dropped like a stone, and he wasn't entirely sure what had set it off. "It's fine though." He insisted. "I didn't even end up in the hospital this time!"

"Don't make it sound like such a great accomplishment!" She complained, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You wouldn't end up in the hospital at all if you just let people help you!"

Ah, Touma thought. That's what was bothering her.

Misaka Mikoto was a girl who struggled to be honest about her feelings. It was something he'd only noticed after she'd confronted him about his amnesia- the confrontation where he'd heard, for the very first time, her honest desire to support him. As much as she got flustered and annoyed and shot off electricity at him, she wanted to have his back. She wanted him to rely on her.

"There wasn't really time to call anyone." He told her carefully. He wanted to promise her that he would've called her, that he would've relied on her if he needed help… but he honestly didn't know if he would have. Because in the heat of the moment, his drive to protect the people around him usually won out. He had a hard enough time recognizing that he needed help, let alone actually reaching out to someone and asking for it.

Mikoto had plenty she wanted to say… but no words actually came. At the end of the day, there was no changing this boy's nature. If she wanted to help him, she would just need to try harder to be there when he needed her.

"Do you want me to tutor you? Officially, that is." She asked suddenly.

"What do you mean 'officially'?"

Mikoto explained. "I mean that if you get a teacher to sign off on it, then we can meet up a couple times a week. You get help keeping up with schoolwork, and I get an official curfew extension, plus some extra-curricular credit."

"My schedule tends to get messed up easily." He warned her.

And that was part of why she wanted to do this. Increasing the time they spent together, and ensuring that they had actual plans to meet up frequently, meant the odds that she'd be kept in the loop went up significantly. "It doesn't have to be the exact same times every week." she said. "We can plan as we go."

Touma considered what it was she was offering. He couldn't predict if and when he'd get pulled into some conflict or other. It's what caused him to fall so far behind to begin with. But Mikoto knew all about that stuff, so working to schedule around it wouldn't be a problem… she really was smart, and she explained things in a way that was easy to understand… it would help him stay at least a little organized… plus…

… he'd get to spend a lot more time with her, right?

There was no downside to this. In fact, it was such a good deal that it made him nervous. Would it really work out so nicely?

"... Okay." He said slowly. "If you really don't mind…"

A triumphant smile split across her face. Standing up, she put her hands on her hips and declared "All right! Let's get those pathetic grades of yours up! Your teachers won't know what hit them!"

He began to sweat nervously. "What's with this sudden ominous chill–?"

She pulled him to his feet, cutting him off. "Come on, we have some paperwork to fill out!"

"But it's the weekend–"

"No slacking under Mikoto-sensei."

He sighed. "Just my luck."

She dragged him all the way to the Tokiwadai campus, leaving him at the gates while she went in to fetch the document she needed. Touma was sweating bullets as he waited for her. The campus was pretty empty, but there were still a few girls hanging around. The looks he got were either of shock or suspicion. One of them looked like she might've gone to get a teacher.

Thankfully, Mikoto was quick. If a teacher had been summoned, then they did not make it there in time to catch them.

"I'm guessing it's not often the girls see a guy on campus." He said nervously, sticking close to Mikoto. An elite girls' school might be a dream come true for most guys, but being surrounded by high-level esper girls that were all suspicious of him made him paranoid.

Mikoto glanced around, noticing for the first time the stragglers shooting them looks. She cursed under her breath. Kuroko, at least, was off doing judgment work that day, but she hadn't considered what the other girls on campus would think about their ace bringing a boy to the school. "It's pretty rare." She told him. "Let's get out of here before rumors start spreading."

They went a fair distance before Mikoto came to a stop, turning to him and handing him a document.

"Get these signed by your homeroom teacher." She instructed. "I'll need it for my dorm manager."

He took the papers, tucking them carefully into his bag. "Thanks. Seriously. This is a huge help."

"Don't thank me yet. You're still an idiot. We don't know yet how much of an effect tutoring will have." She smirked.

"Yeah, yeah." He draped his bag over his shoulder. "I better head back before Index comes looking for me."

"And I promised Kuroko I'd meet up with her." Mikoto added. "Text me when you have that paper signed, okay?"

"I will." He promised, raising a hand in parting as the girl walked off. "See you."

"Later, Touma."

The next day, he brought the document to his homeroom teacher. Komoe-sensei grilled him about his relationship with Mikoto, but in the end, he was able to get her signature. Later, when the two happened to meet in front of the usual vending machine, he handed it back to her.

That was how Misaka Mikoto officially became his tutor.